William b



(No Model.)

W. B, BELTS. PERCUSSION FUSE.

No 561,506. Patented June 2, 1896.

avwewto a mm m. W

WILLIAM B. rnnrs, on THE UNITED sr TE-s ARMY,

TO JOSEPH DORLEY, or THE UNITED sTA rEs, Ann,

psseuseioh rcse.

. SPEGIFICATION formingart oi'netters raxem no. 561,506, dated Application filed September 28,1895. semi No. 564,052. on une To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ILLIAM B. FELTs, a citizen of'the United a private in Company A of the Tenth United States Infantry, stationed at Fort Reno, Ole lahonia Territory, have invented a new and useful Percussion-Fuse, of which the fellowing-is a specification. Y

My inventionrelates to improvements in percussion-fuses for use in shell; and the said invention consists of certain novel features hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is had to the accompanying d rawings, in which the same parts are indicated by the same letters throughout; the several news.

Figure 1 represents a central longitudinal section through the fuse, showing the operat-ingparis in their normal position,'er that in which they ordinarily remain prior to fir ing the projectile; Fig. 2 represents a similar section to that shown in Fig. l and illustrates the position of the parts after the gun has been fired,bnt before the projectile strikes the target. Fig. represents a similar section to that shown in Figs. 1 and 2 with the operative parts in the position they assume when the projectile strikes the target and when thefuse acts.

A represents the fuse-stoek, which is externally of the ordinary shape and is screwthreaded, as at a, and screwed into the fusehole or benching in the shell. This fusestoek is provided with a cylindrical chamber a, which opens into a smaller cylindrical chamber a", the latter preferably provided with a conical base Near the forward end of the chamber a screw-threads (1- are provided, in which the plug or anvilB screws. This plug is provided with a small opening Z), above which the detonating composition 0 is placed.

ishollowed out, as at Z)','to receive thepoint of the plunger D. This plunger D is reduced along its forward portion, as at D, and is provided with a rounded shoulder (Z near the;

base thereof and with a flanged cap d, made conical to fit the chamber a and passing ircely into the chamber a. of this plunger is chambered, as at it, to re i nfrnnr States, now serving asas shown ill'Flg', 1.-

ward. end thereof, adapted to-allo'wtl' the end 6 of the springE fliesjeutw the spring ;E, fro1n} movingforwar .springto move, in either d The interior of this plug or anvil I3 until the point of theplungemsti tonating composition 0 'and ignites, t The forward end lemma-on "one-1 in ceive the extensible spring wh e i. six v cured at-its fixed'end in said plun gel,v Elsa-t e while its free end normally tends to .sp'ringout- 'ward away from the axis of i the saidp'lunger.

A coil-spring His slipped-over the plunger D and. is held between-flanged eap iclandrtlie sleeve F, which sleeve is slipped. over lthe'fon ward end of the plum gcr and. normallyfhhlds e of the spring E. to fly-outward iengthe sleeve F is forced to the rear, as woguld beathe case when the gun is fired, as sl1own-inFig.

This sleeve F should befmadeof i hrass or other. heavy inetal, and has a loulple function of locking the {fuse in the safietypo sit-ion before the gun'is fired andiof adding its inertia to'that of the. pluiigerWl en- -.the 7o projectile strikes the cap or d'eton'ator orful minate. This sleeve is normally held ghebiif'een the endof the spring II andthe shou-lderat the base of the plug or an-viLB, as'shown in Fig. 1. Now when the gun is fired the-fuse Stock and fplunger'D move-forwardwit ;..fil1eshell; but the inertia ofthesleeve causes the latter to apparently n oveoye'r the reduced portion D of the plunger, compressing, the spring 11 until the rearend of thersleei-e 8o strikes therounded shoulder (Z, on the plun;

ger, at which time the relative auction" 0f5 -tl 1e' sleeve as regards the plungeris stopped-,;u;h-ile rengagingiin the chamber fQn-s'sh own '11 Rig 8 5 T 1c spring H being n'owcomp rQS$ed-' etw n; thecap' d and-the rear fac'e of the which sleeve .is new prevented, 'by means' ,of dun-gain; on

the plungeig there is no tenden irectiofn, plun ge r carrying the sleevew-il position indicated iir'l ig. u strikes-the object. Then. the n shell will'be suddenly checked gcr, -together withthesleeve, wil

- 3 transmitting the flame through the opening.

I shell. The position'of thei'noving parts at the moment of the actiouof the fuse is shown in Fig. 3.,

While the drawingsshow a basefuse, it

applicable to front fuses.

.will be'obvious that the invention is equally The strength of the sprmgll should be such that the sleeve Fwill be normally held in the position indicated in Fig, *1, or will only move slightly to the rear out of said position in case I of the greatest extremes ofshocks and jarsj'that would be possible under the-ordinary be seen that this spring H affords a yielding shell be dropped point downward. strength of the spring required could be read- .ily determined experimentally with empty shell. The spring,however, should notbetoo strong to prevent the sleeve from j umpingb'a'ck against'the action of the said spring in a violent shock-of firing the gun. It will resistance to the plungerF, which will enable the said plungerto move slightly to the rear 'underordinary shocksand jars and which willforce the plunger to return to the initial position (shown in Fig.1) unless'the shock be very violent and so violent as to force the sleeve far enough to the rear to release the end e of the spring E, and this spring H cv 41d be do adjusted that this would be impossible except with the violent shock incident to dis-;

charging the gun. a V

It will be obvious that various modifications.

of the-herein deseribed apparatus might be, made which could be used without d epartingfroin'the spirit of my invention.

Having thusldeseribed my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

'. 1-. Ina per zussion-fusc for projectiles, the

' combination "with a fuse-stock, and a perforated plug or anvil screwed into'the forward end thereof, with adetonator mounted 'on said plug: or anvil, of a plunger mounted in said fuse-stock and provided with a flanged head, asleeve normally inclosing the forward end of said plunger, a spring interposed between said fianged'head and said sleeve, and means for locking said sleeve after it has moved a .short distance to the reason. said plunger against the action of said spring, substantially a'sdescribe'd. 1

2. In a percussion-fuse for projectiles,-the combination with afuse-stock, and a perforated plug or anvil screwed into the forward end thereof,w ith a detonator mounted on said plug or anvil, of a plunger mounted in said fu'se-stock-an'd provided with a flanged head, an'extensible spring secured to the said plunger near the forward end thereof, a sleeve normally inclosing the forward endof said-plunger and confining the extensible spring, and a coil-spring interposed between said flanged head and said sleeve, and normally-pressing said plunger backward in said sleeve, subsltantially as described,

3. In a percussion-fuse for projectiles, the combination with a fuse-stock, and a perforated plug or anvil mounted-in the forward end thereof, with a detonator mountedon said plug or anvil, of a plunger mounted in said fuse-stock and provided with a flanged head and'a shoulder near said head, a sleeve nor-.

and said sleeve, and means for locking said sleeve after ithas-moved a short distance to the rear on saidplunger against'the action of said spring, substantially as described.

4. In a percussion-fuse for projectiles, the combination with a fuse-stock, and a perforated plug or anvil mounted in the forward endthereoflw'ith a detonator mounted on said plug or anvil; of a-plunger mounted in said fuse stock and-provided with a flanged head and a sloulder near said head, a sleeve normally inclosing the forward end of said plungcr butof less diameter than. said shoulder, a spring interposed between said flanged head and-said sleeve, and an eiitensible spring mounted in said plunger and normally confined by said sleeve, but adapted to lock said mally inclosing the forward end of said plunger but of .less diameter than said shoulder, a spring interposed between said flanged head sleeve to said plunger against the action of said spring when the sleeve is forced to the rear, substantially as described.

In a percussiomfuse for projectiles,the combination with a fuse-stock, and a perforated plug or a'nvil screwed into the forward end thereof, with a d'etonator mounted on said plug or anvil, ofa plunger mounted in said fuse-stock and providedwith a flanged conical head engaging in a corresponding recess in said stock, and provided with a recess near the forward end thereof, a coil-spring inclosing the rear end of said plunger, an extensible spring E secured near the forward end of said recess, nd provided with a point 6 normallytendin g to spring outward, a sleeve normally inclosing the forward end of said plunger and said spring E, and engaging the free end of said spring when said sleeve has moved a shortdistance to the rear on said plunger against the action of said. spring, substantially as described.

- \VILLIAM B. FELTS 'itnesses:

E. J. JONES, JOHN H. DAFT. 

